DARWIN – NT

Yay we have arrived in Darwin. It’s been a long time since we visited a city where everything is available at your fingertips. Good Wi-Fi, excellent TV and phone reception, shopping, a multitude of eating venues, being able to get a relaxing pedicure and maybe a haircut and more. But with that comes other things we are not used to 🤔….traffic, traffic lights, paying for parking, tourists everywhere, grumpy people, busy people, homeless people.

We could have by-passed Darwin as we did last year but as I have not been here since 1984, and who knows when we will get back here, I thought it appropriate to check it out. My recollection of Darwin in 1984 was that of a big country town. Well look 👀 at you now Darwin. You are modern, big and bold and you continue to grow. So let’s get going with what we have found so far.

👉Our first day out we spent walking and enjoying the city and Darwin waterfront. From the city we headed to the Sky Bridge and the lift which takes you to a multitude of restaurants and cafes at the waterfront. Did you know there are more than 50 cultural groups living and working in Darwin? No wonder there are such a diverse range of restaurants.

👉At the Darwin waterfront you will also find the very popular 🏄‍♀️🏊‍♂️Wave Lagoon. You see they don’t get waves in Darwin, unless there is a cyclone coming, and besides that it’s a much safer area to swim without worrying about those critters that lurk below. If riding a wave is not your thing then you can also enjoy the free saltwater recreation lagoon. For us we just enjoyed our lunch and a cold beer 🍻 while watching the passing parade.

👉The next day we decided to take the ‘Hop-On, Discover – Hop-Off, Explore’ bus tour. We joined the tour outside the Museum and Art Gallery where parking is free for the whole day. Also because we knew we wanted to spend a longer time in the museum after the bus brought us back to our starting point.

👉The museum has some fantastic displays including everything about when Cyclone Tracey demolished Darwin on Christmas Day in 1974. Besides that there are some wonderful exhibitions and you can easily spend an hour or two here. Entrance to the museum is free.

👉Darwin is a city full of history and culture. This is best represented by its many WW2 landmarks and some great museums including the Royal Flying Doctor Service & Bombing of Darwin Harbour Museum and the Military Museum.

I loved 💛 this tour as it is a great relaxing way to enjoy Darwin and its surrounding areas without having to worry about driving or finding parking places. Plus Graeme could also sit back relax and enjoy. There are 12 points of interest where you can hop off and explore and then rejoin the tour on either of the two busses that do this tour. A seniors ticket sets you back $35 for a 24 hour ticket. Tours start from the city at 9 am leaving every 35 minutes and the last tour is at 4.15.

👉Best of all we have arrived at the time of the Darwin Festival – Hot August Nights. There is so much going on until around the 25th of August, music, theatre, circus, visual arts, food stalls and so much more. Who knows we may even enjoy a few of them.

---